If I had to sum up my Greece experience in one word, it would have to be “whirlwind-" twelve days of amazing people, places, and experiences.

On Sunday, June 14th, we started in Athens, where we saw the Acropolis and basked in the mighty presence of the Parthenon. We stood on thousands of years of history, where hundreds of thousands of people have journeyed to catch a glimpse of the glory of the ancient times. Small groups branched off to explore the city, and my group saw the National Gardens and found hidden treasures, such as art galleries and overly enthusiastic rose sellers. On Monday, we departed on a one-day harbor cruise to see the islands of the Saronic Gulf. We roamed the narrow streets of Hydra, climbed to a rock formation at the top of Poros, and swam in the turquoise Mediterranean with new friends at Aegina. Day 5 brought us to Delphi, the ancient site where Greeks sought advice from the Oracle, a woman said to have direct access to the gods. It was so interesting to learn about how ancient Greeks felt like they had to make sacrifices and seek counsel from “chosen” people in order to communicate with their Gods.

After a night of swimming and devotions on the beach, we settled in to bed and awoke on Wednesday to travel to Olympia, the site of the original Olympic Games. There, we saw the ancient training grounds and stadium, and learned about the process of lighting the Olympic flame and transporting it around the world to wherever the modern Olympics are held. Thursday we traveled to Epidaurus and saw firsthand how impressive Greek theater acoustics were. A few hours bus ride took us to the ruins of the ancient civilization of Mycenae in the mountains of Greece. We were in the middle of a thunderstorm, gripped by rain and winds. Being on a hill surrounded by thunderstorm shadowed valleys was absolutely surreal. In that moment, I thought to myself ‘Wow, this is incredible. This is how vast and immense and powerful our God is.’ The view was breathtaking and the experience made quite an impact on everyone.

At the end of the first week, we began our three-day island cruise, starting with Mykonos. The amazing food, postcard-perfect white buildings, seaside breeze, and friendly people made this island my favorite part of the entire trip. My friends and I got to speak with an elderly lady whose family had run the shop she worked at since 1952, and learned about her duty to continue her family’s trade of making clothing by hand. Listening to her talk about growing up on an island and never seeing anywhere else her entire life made me realize how blessed our group was to be able to visit Greece. The lady was very humble and kind. She made us feel so welcome in Mykonos, and her warmth made a lasting impression on me. On the second day of the cruise, at Ephesus and Patmos, we got to see the theater where Paul spoke to the Ephesians and the cave where John wrote Revelation. We finished off the cruise with the picturesque islands of Crete and Santorini, and then departed back to Athens. That night in Greece was a memorable one. The group participated in a traditional Greek evening with dancing and performances and great food. It was a great cultural emersion and so much fun.

The last night on the cruise ship, we had group devotion and talked about what we would take away from the experience. We all went into the trip only knowing a few people, and left Greece with new best friends that we hadn’t known 12 days before. We were blessed to join our group with one from Chicago, and had the opportunity to grow new relationships over the course of the trip. Bus drivers seemed surprised when we clapped for them, some of the Chicago kids asked to pray with us before dinner towards the end of the trip, and we shared our faith with other teenagers on the cruise ship as we stargazed one night. As one of the students said during our last devotion, travel is more about who you are with than what you see. I met so many amazing people, and all of us left with a greater perspective on the world. I am so thankful to have had this experience in Greece. We became more appreciative of our blessings at home, prayed for those we saw who were less fortunate, and realized that people around the world are people just like us. We can learn from them and them from us, and all travel the same journey to find joy, and laughter, and love.